The Son and the Unicorn
by NoRatCat
Summary: After learning his mom supposedly shattered Pink Diamond, Steven is uncertain about how to feel about her. But a visit to a certain Lilac Wood brings him some form of comfort. Set before "A Single Pale Rose", and a follow up to "Two Immortals".


The day was creeping to a close in Beach City. The events of the day passing buy as everyone geared up to rest, relax, and repeat the process tomorrow. The same could be said for the Crystal Gems in a way. Though they did not need sleep like humans did, they too knew when to wind down for the day. But after the recent events, they needed a vacation so to speak. Stopping a gem geo weapon from destroying the earth, getting rid of a squad of rubies, and even rescuing Steven and later his father from space. All in all it was a series of trying events. Being immortal creatures used to battle, such events were not ones to weigh upon them. Though the same could not be said about their youngest member.

Steven reflected upon those very events. It had been what he had hoped for, going on a mission with the gems, saving Beach City, and the world to boot. At the time, he had wondered what his mother would have thought? He was certain she would have been proud of him. He had finally taken over his mother's role as a guardian of humanity. It was what he had wanted, ever since he started living with the gems. For years they had talked about his mother, how wonderful and loving she was. How she could see the beauty in everything. By all means, they (especially Pearl), had made her out to be flawless. And for a time, Steven believed that. Only now, he could see how naive that was.

When he had heard of the Gem War, it had been a simple matter to him. The gems of Homeworld wanted to exploit the Earth for it's resources in order to grow more gems. Of course, based on what Peridot had shown them, that would have reduced the planet into a hollowed out husk. Then the Crystal Gems, led by his mother drove them off the planet. It was a simple matter of good and evil. Homeworld was evil, the Crystal Gems were good. Then, it all changed by one simple revelation.

" _I saw it with my own eye. I watched the leader of the Crystal Gems, Rose Quartz, shatter Pink Diamond!_ "

And that was it. His mother had shattered a gem. She had actually taken a life. Steven didn't want to believe this at first, but when Garnet confirmed it he knew it was true.

It was so simple to the gems. Pink Diamond after all had wanted to conquer earth, even creating a human zoo to showcase her alleged trophies. But to Steven, everything about this felt wrong. His mother had refused to shatter gems before. The incident with Bismuth was a testament to that. So why did she break it? All of it was confusing, and frankly, Steven wasn't so sure what to think anymore.

He walked outside the house, staring at the setting sun. Lion was sleeping nearby, his usual spot. Steven walked towards him, placing a hand upon his furry body. He needed to talk to someone, anyone would do.

"Hey Lion." Steven greeted.

Lion didn't budge, instead remaining in his relaxed position.

Leaning down, Steven put his back to the feline. "I know you can't talk, but I just really need someone to talk to you know?"

Again, nothing.

"I mean I could talk to the gems, but they wouldn't understand." Looking down at the ground. "I mean how could they? They loved my mom."

Of course. The Crystal Gems stood behind their departed leader, defending her actions as what was best for Earth. Garnet and Pearl especially.

"I just wish I could just tell someone how I really feel about this whole thing with Mom and Pink Diamond." Stated Steven.

Just then, Steven felt something slide upon his back and soon found himself falling backside upon the ground.

"Lion?"

Getting to his feet, Steven looked to see Lion standing up. Only now, his face was turned to Steven. It was always hard to discern Lion's expression. Nobody could tell what he was thinking. But Steven could get a good idea on what he wanted him to do. His look just screamed, _"follow me"_. And whenever Steven saw that look, he knew what to do. Climbing onto Lion's back, Steven held on tight, and watched as Lion released a concussive roar. The circle of energy spread into the open air, ripping a whole into space, opening up to reveal a strange dimension. It was a dimension Steven was familiar with, for he had traveled within it multiple times. Without a word, Lion leapt into the hole which closed behind him.

Steven could feel a rush against his body, his hair blowing slightly from the speed they were moving. In short time, it passed, and before long, Lion stepped upon solid ground. Steven felt shell shocked for a moment. No matter how many times Lion traveled through a portal, Steven could always feel some sort of sensation. It passed in quick succession.

"What is this place?" Steven asked.

Gazing about his surroundings, Steven found himself in a beautiful forest. Trees towered high, the sounds of nature playing about. Slowly Steven got off of Lion and felt the grass beneath his feet. He felt the air around him, and strangely it felt as if it were spring. Steven wasn't sure how else to feel, as the beach held a constant climate, but somehow it felt like spring to him.

Hearing a small growl, Steven looked behind him to see Lion resting himself.

"You get some rest buddy, something tells me you want me to look around." Steven concluded.

And so, Steven started to walk. All the while he glanced about his surroundings. He had to admit, this was nice by forest standards. Something about it seemed serene, as if no human had ever disturbed it. Steven felt no hesitance in his steps. He felt no danger or fear among the forest trees. A calming peace passed over him, as if a protective aura had blanketed the entire realm.

"Rose?"

Then he heard it, the voice. It was soft and feminine, but wise and regal at the same time. Steven turned his head, and what he saw made him widen his eyes. Standing before him was a white horse. No, not a horse. Firstly, the hooves were split like a goat's, and the tail was more akin to a lion's. The not horse had a shining white mane. Though the topper was the long spiraling horn that jutted forth from the creature's head.

An audible gasp escaped Steven. He had read enough of the Spirit Morph Saga with Connie to know what this creature is.

The creature looked at Steven, it's eyes growing curious. "Can it be? No it's not you Rose."

"Oh my gosh!" Steven said putting his hands to his cheeks. It was a tone and sentence he had used when he first saw Peridot's true diminutive form. "You're...an...actual...real life...UNICORN!"

The unicorn was taken aback by the boy's sudden outburst. Even more so as the child advanced towards her, eyes shining up at her. Why she could have sword the boy's pupil's had turned into stars.

"Oh wow! I didn't even know unicorns were real! I thought they were only in stories! Man I have to tell my friend Connie about this!" Then Steven's attention focused on the horn. "Hey! Can your horn do magic like bringing people back to life!?"

The unicorn watched this all with a certain uncertainty about this. She had never encountered such excitement before, not until she had met one such creature like her. "Um...yes?"

Steven let out a little squeal of delight. "Wow! That's so cool!"

The unicorn softened herself, trying to regain the composure her kind was known for. "Strange, you have the energy of Rose Quartz, yet you are clearly not her."

Steven's excitement faded, "Wait? Rose Quartz? You know my mom?"

"Mom?" The unicorn's eyes turned to surprise. Staring down at the child, she couldn't deny that he held the life force of Rose Quartz, but this boy wasn't her. Then she remembered, "Are you...Steven?"

"You...you know how I am?" Steven asked.

Suddenly, the unicorn let out a soft chuckle, "Oh my goodness, look at you. So she actually did it? You're here." The unicorn bowed her head slightly. "Greetings son of Rose Quartz. I am Amalthea."

"Amalthea? Wow that's a pretty neat name!" Steven concurred.

Even though the name had been granted to her as part of a deception, she had grown accustomed to it.

"Wait? How do you know my mom?" Steven inquired yet again. He knew his mother had a magical pet lion, but none of the gems had ever told him she was friends with a unicorn. Then again, she kept a lot of things from them as he had gradually learned.

"Your mother happened upon my wood by chance. She would come here often, telling me of what transpired outside it. "

Amalthea recalled many of the talks she and Rose had. Rose of course had kept this place hidden from everyone else. Including her beloved Greg. Partially because Amalthea had requested it. The world had changed much. Magic had become scarce. In fact, Amalthea was not sure how many unicorns had left. Man had greatly developed their progress. Kingdoms vanishing, replaced with vast monoliths of stone and metal. Amalthea had admittedly shown curiosity of these changes, but dared not leave her wood. Save for the scant occasion.

"I know of the Crystal Gems, and of your father Greg." Revealed Amalthea. "I remember when your mother first told me of him. I had never seen her so happy and full of love. Tell me? What was that saying she mentioned him saying again? Something about...pork cuts?"

"Pork chops," Steven corrected, "If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs."

That was another thing Rose had informed her of. Human food was another thing that had changed. They had certainly gotten more creative on how to prepare an animal for consumption. Not that she would be interested.

"My. The world has certainly changed." The unicorn mused to herself. "I can't say how wonderful it is to finally meet you at last. Why when your mother told me about how she wanted to bring you into the world, I had never seen her so happy."

In some aspects she had been jealous of Rose. Or at least a feeling close enough to jealousy. Being a unicorn, she was limited in range of certain emotions. When she had become human, she had felt awash with new feelings. Now that she was a unicorn again, she wasn't sure if she could still feel them. She had felt something when Lir died, when Schemdrick and Molly passed, and when Rose revealed to her of her pregnancy and of how she and her child couldn't exist at the same time, she had felt another loss. But regret was a feeling that she knew all too well. She still regretted not being able to spend her life with her beloved Lir. Had she stayed, they would have had a life together, and more than likely, a child. Being immortal creatures, unicorns were not so driven to breed with one another. It happened, but not as common as mortal creatures. Frankly, she would have loved a child to teach and protect.

"Hey? Amalthea? My Mom told you a lot of stuff right?" Steven suddenly asked.

The unicorn nodded. "Yes, your mother told me a great deal of things."

"So she told you about Pink Diamond?"

And there it was. Rose's greatest secret. The one thing she had kept hidden from most.

"So you know? Don't you?" Amalthea could sense the feeling of dread within the boy. Rose had explained things to her, tried to make her understand. Of course, her actions had led to a great consequence, but the unicorn understood.

"Yeah. I know Mom shattered her."

Amalthea caught a gasp within her throat. So he didn't know the truth. He believed the deception.

"Yes." Amalthea found herself saying.

Immediately she noticed Steven looked downcast. She didn't want to lie, but Rose had sworn her to secrecy. And she respected her friend enough not to break her trust.

"Garnet told me Mom did it to save the earth, I get that, but still, I just didn't think she would go that far." Said Steven. "I mean, everyone else always told me how she was this person who loved life, and always looked for the good in everything."

The diamonds were horrible yes, but he remembered Blue Diamond's sadness. He felt it, and despite the fact the diamonds routinely plundered planets of life and reduced them to hollowed out husks, they cared about one another. There was a reason why Yellow Diamond wanted the Earth destroyed so badly, why Jasper had such animosity towards his mother: They wanted to avenge Pink Diamond.

Amalthea put her nose to the boy, giving him a slight nuzzle. "My child, all those things about your mother are true. She made mistakes, but her core being was always the same."

Steven looked up at the unicorn, his eyes staring at awe at the beast. No matter how many times he looked at her, he was always impressed by the mere sight of an actual unicorn.

"She indeed cared about the world and all the creatures who lived upon it. Yes, she made questionable decisions, but she always had the Earth's best interests at heart."

"But," Steven started to protest, but found himself stopping.

"Remember, you are her son, and carry her light within you. When I look at you, I can see her being reflected."

Pearl had said something similar to that. Of course, she may have just been saying that. Still, his dad had told him he was like his mother. In a sense he was his mother. Least the Homeworld gems seemed to have trouble differentiating between him and her.

"Though it is true you have inherited her burdens, you also carry her legacy."

Steven reached down, touching the gem upon his navel. The unicorn's words resonated within him. And honestly, he could feel his feelings rising, stepping out of the depression bog, and working it's way into the fields of happiness.

"Thanks. You know? I feel better all of a sudden." Steven announced.

The unicorn tossed her mane and beamed down at the boy with a happy expression. "I'm glad my child."

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind them. Turning around, he noticed Lion coming up to him. "Well I think it's time for me to go. It was nice meeting you!"

"As it was for me Steven." Amalthea concurred.

Steven got himself upon Lion, but looked to the unicorn one last time. "Um hey? Would it be okay if I brought my friend Connie to meet you? I mean she really likes magic creatures and she would totally keep you a secret."

Amalthea smiled and gave a silent nod.

"Okay great! Have a good day! Bye!"

And with that, Lion released his roar, opening a portal and leaping through it, closing it behind him.

Amalthea watched the spot where Lion had once been for a bit of time. She had wanted to reveal to Steven the truth about Rose, so as to not make him think his mother was a murderer. But she knew it was not her place. He had to discover the truth for himself. And so she left that spot, heading back into her woods, grateful for her meeting with Steven, the son of Pink Diamond.

A/N: Considering the fact that my crossover "Two Immortals" got such good reception, I felt compelled to write a follow up. Just to let you know, this idea was given to me by a fan of the previous crossover, readpink, so credit goes to them, I just wrote it.


End file.
